Dutch art of the seventeenth centuryPossibly the most beautiful paintings were created in the Dutch Republic during the seventeenth century. As the Republic grew wealthy and Holland emerged as the richest of the seven Dutch provinces, it became synonymous with the United Provinces, later the Netherlands. This wealth came from the country’s pivotal role in the European economy, trading in all kinds of products, as well as its successful shipbuilding industry and land reclamation programme. The Dutch were a powerful seafaring nation and Amsterdam was the financial centre of the world.

Dutch prosperity and tolerance towards religious minorities made the Republic an attractive haven for scholars, musicians, writers and especially artists. So many painters worked in the Dutch Republic that they had to specialise to survive, leading to the creation of entire new genres. Artists were able to dedicate their career to painting fish or flowers, landscapes or marines, animals or houses. Even more striking is that their work was intended not just for the elite; their small panels and canvases were painted for the homes of prosperous burghers.

The Dutch changed art forever. Thomas Gainsborough, William Turner, Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, Goya, Picasso, Wim Delvoye, Damian Hirst, Cindy Sherman and Lita Cabellut: where would they have been without the Dutch Old Masters of the seventeenth century?

This is why the Hoogsteder Museum Foundation, through its loans and exhibitions, aims to promote the art and culture of The Netherlands of the 17th century.